lucky accident
by childoflightning
Summary: "That was an accident. You weren't supposed to know either," she said. "But you don't regret me knowing, do you?" Adrien asked. Marinette made a face at him, and he made one back. She laughed. "No, you dork. I don't regret it." OR: Marinette accidentally revealed her identity to Adrien, but he hasn't revealed his because he fears her reaction.
1. Chapter 1

"You really don't know Chat Noir's identity?" Adrien asked. "You don't even have a suspicion?"

"For the last time, Adrien, no," Marinette said with a sigh, flopping down on his couch next to him. "We agreed we'd keep it a secret. No one's supposed to know."

"Oh, right," he said, nodding seriously. "How's that working out so far?" He grinned at her. Tikki, perched on his shoulder, made a high-pitched sound of agreement.

Marinette groaned. "That was an accident. You weren't supposed to know either, or else I'd have let my parents and Alya in on the secret, too."

"But you don't regret me knowing, do you?"

Marinette made a face at him, and he made one back. She laughed and stretched. "No, you dork. I don't regret it."

He smiled, glad to see her so at ease. She worked too hard.

He was the only one in the world who knew exactly how much.

* * *

It had been an accident.

How was Ladybug supposed to know Adrien Agreste would be sitting in the alley she dropped into to transform? How was she supposed to know that Adrien Agreste had just detransformed there moments before her?

She had nowhere else to go, and nowhere near enough time to go there. Their eyes locked. Panic was clear on her face.

When he realized, he tried to cover his eyes, but it was too late. He'd seen. She ran.

Marinette didn't speak to him the next day in class, as per usual, but she didn't look at him either. Adrien let this go on for a few days, hoping she would reach out to him, but when she didn't he approached her himself.

He'd laid a hand on her arm. "Marinette? Could I talk to you quick?"

"Uh, sure," Marinette said. She turned to her bewildered best friend. "See you later, Alya."

Alya looked back and forth - at Marinette, at Adrien, back at Marinette. "Tell me everything later," she said under her voice as she left. Adrien pretended he hadn't heard.

There were a few seconds of awkward silence. Adrien rocked back and forth on his feet, uncomfortable. Marinette looked at the sky, hugging her bookbag to her chest. Then they both spoke at once.

"I'm so sorry -"

"Please don't say anything to anyone -"

"If I can help with anything-"

"It would put us all in danger if it got out -"

"Your secret is safe with me, I swear," Adrien said.

Marinette smiled shyly. "Well, thank you," she said. "If someone had to - that is - I trust you. Not to tell, I mean." They both turned pink, laughing slightly.

After a few moments, she asked hesitantly, "Do you want to come have a macaron at my parents' bakery?"

* * *

Ever since, he'd wanted to tell her. He felt like a scumbag for not telling her.

But she didn't want to know. He'd asked so many times.

"Aren't you even a little curious? You see him every day, you've fought with him for months, and he could be anyone."

"No, Adrien. I'm fine not knowing," Marinette said. She flipped through a fashion magazine, lying on her chaise on her stomach, bored with the conversation.

"If he found out who you were, would you be upset?" he asked.

"If I hadn't told him?" She considered. "Yeah, probably. Why?"

"Just wondering." He pretended to read.

He felt guilty every time he looked at her. He knew she hated lies. But...he was weak. Selfish.

Marinette and Ladybug were two of the only people on earth who cared if he was around. The odds were he'd lose them both if he told her.

 _I don't put up with lies._

 _Chloé totally lied to us earlier. I was not going to listen to a liar._

 _Chat Noir may annoy me to pieces, but he's never lied to me._

She yawned. "Can we talk about something besides identities? I spend so much time worrying about those…"

"Yeah, no problem." He tossed her a controller. "You feel like losing at Ultimate Mecha Strike III?"

"You wish, Agreste."

* * *

"I can vouch for Marinette, Mme Bustier," Adrien said. "She was with me this morning."

Mme Bustier inspected their faces. "You were both saving a cat from a tree on the way to school this morning?"

"Uh. Yes," Marinette said. Adrien nodded.

"Why didn't you just call an authority to get it down?" Mme Bustier asked.

"There was a little girl there," Adrien said. "She was distressed. We wanted to at least wait with her until they could get there."

Marinette was anxiously twisting her fingers together next to him. Mme Bustier sighed.

"Okay, Marinette. But you really have to work on this." She shook her head. "You were always a fairly punctual student until this year. I don't know what's happened to you. Adrien, you've been tardy a great deal yourself."

"I'll try harder," Adrien said, already backing out of the classroom.

"Thank you, Mme Bustier!" Marinette called, following.

Once they were out of earshot, Marinette cringed. "The things I do to keep a secret identity."

"Lucky I could cover for you, huh?" Adrien said.

"What would I do without you?" She bumped him playfully with her shoulder. "Thank you."

"I told you I'd help any way I could," Adrien said. "I've heard your fake excuses for akuma attacks lately. I think it's time I took over, anyway."

Marinette smiled. "So, what's your real excuse for being late this morning?"

"Just overslept." _Another lie._

Marinette hummed as they walked. Adrien's thoughts were elsewhere.

 _Someday you're going to have to tell her,_ his mind whispered.

 _I know,_ he said. _I just need more time._

 _The longer you wait, the worse it will be._

 _Give me more time._

* * *

Ladybug swung into Adrien's room through the window, detransforming as soon as her feet hit the floor. "Ughh," she groaned, throwing herself onto the sofa face-first. Tikki plopped down next to her, looking dead-tired.

"Superhero duties?" Adrien asked casually, flipping through his history textbook from his seat on the floor.

"Yes. We just took out a gigantic akuma a block away, didn't you notice?"

Adrien held up an earbud innocently. "Nah, I guess my music was too loud."

"You know, maybe you should get into the Ladybug suit and do your part for this city once in awhile. Give me a break," Marinette said, voice muffled by the cushion. "I'm exhausted."

"There are cookies on my desk for Tikki. How's the latest akuma victim?"

"Embarrassed but unhurt," Marinette said.

"And how was Chat Noir today?"

"Flirty. For a change."

"It's because he's in love with you, you know," he said casually.

"For the last time, Agreste," Marinette said, rolling over, "that's just his nature. He's flirted with plain old Marinette plenty."

 _There's a reason for that,_ Adrien thought. "You can deny the truth as much as you want, bug, but generally a guy doesn't look at a girl he doesn't love like this." He held up his phone, showing a picture from the Ladyblog of a fight from a few months ago.

Ladybug's yo-yo spun, captured in the photo only as a blur. Her face was frozen in a fierce expression as she faced down her enemy. Chat stood behind her, baton raised, ready to back her up. His eyes lingered on her.

There were photos of Chat Noir looking adoringly at Ladybug. There were photos of them sweeping each other off their feet, sitting on each other's laps, taking hits meant for the other. This one wasn't so dramatic, but it had still caught Adrien's attention. Chat Noir was just looking at her - as though there wasn't any reason to look anywhere else. She was it.

Marinette evidently hadn't seen the photo before. She swallowed hard and looked away, forcing a laugh. "That look is nothing. It might even be just a trick of the camera." She scoffed. "Matter of fact, I think I've seen you look at me like that."

Adrien laughed softly, turning the phone back to look at the picture again. "Yeah, Mari. You might be onto something there."

He'd said it under his breath. He hadn't thought she would catch it. His blood froze a few moments later, when he heard her stammer -

"What - what did you say?"

Marinette's eyes were wide. Stunned.

 _Shoot._

* * *

Notes:

looks like there might be room to continue this...hmmm

Thanks for reading! You can find me at peggiecarter on tumblr :)


	2. Chapter 2

" _Yeah, Mari. You might be onto something there."_

" _What - what did you say?"_

Adrien had screwed up.

It had happened. He hadn't even had time to plan how he would tell her.

How much had she figured out?

Marinette stood and scooped Tikki up. "Well," she said with forced breeziness, "we should get going." She transformed in a flash of pink light.

"Wait!" Adrien said, impulsively grabbing Ladybug's wrist before she could leave. She looked at him in surprise. "I'm sorry, we should talk."

"No, it's okay...I had an idea that you might - well, not that I knew, but - I guess you never -" Small patches of pink brightened on her cheeks. She stomped one of her small red feet. "I'm too worn out to think, and I still have to patrol with Chat Noir tonight. Let's forget the whole thing. It'll just make things weird. I'll see you at school tomorrow, Adrien." Avoiding eye contact, Ladybug swung out the window and disappeared.

"What does that mean?" Adrien said, jumping to his feet and pulling Plagg out of his pocket. "Did she not figure it out?"

"Typical," Plagg said with a cheese-scented burp. "Neither of you are very clever when it comes to identities."

"I said -" Adrien thought back, trying to remember every word that had passed between them. "I said Chat Noir was in love with her. She said she'd seen me look at her like Chat Noir looks at her. And I said she might be onto something." He ran a hand through his hair. "She could interpret it as me being Chat Noir..."

"But she didn't," Plagg said helpfully.

Adrien groaned and flopped face-down on his bed. "If she doesn't know I'm Chat Noir," he said, voice muffled, "then I just accidentally told Ladybug that I'm in love with her, and now she's going to think I'm competing with Chat Noir for her affections."

"Yeah." Plagg yawned. "You humans are so needlessly complicated. Can't you just be glad your secret is safe?"

"But…" Adrien flipped over and stared at the ceiling. "It was such a relief to think she knew who I was for those few minutes. I was done lying to her. Even though I thought she'd leave me forever."

"Then just tell her."

"I'm going to."

* * *

He saw her mind whirring, putting it all together. He remembered doing the same thing when he found out. It was a lot to take in - rewinding the last year, looking at every interaction in an entirely new light, putting together the two personalities and reconciling them into one person.

"I -" she stopped and shook her head. Her expression was hard to read.

Adrien began to speak. "I didn't know how to tell -"

"You should have told me." Marinette said.

"Yeah," Adrien said quietly.

Marinette's hands were clenched - in anxiety? Anger? Her knuckles were turning white. "It's been four months, Adrien. You found out _four months ago."_

"Yeah." Adrien wished he could think of something else to say.

Plagg sat on the table between them. Tikki perched quietly on Marinette's shoulder. Both were quiet.

"You should have told me." Marinette's voice was becoming more hysterical. "You knew who I was! There was no reason to keep it from me!"

"I was scared."

"You let me tell you things I never would have said to Chat Noir. And vice versa." Marinette covered her face. "Didn't you think - didn't you consider - how humiliated -" Her voice wavered and she cut herself off.

Adrien bowed his head, hands in his lap, as though not looking at her was a type of penance.

She was right. He'd known it from the beginning. She deserved a better partner. She deserved a better friend.

Marinette clutched her forehead. "I...You take patrol for the next few nights. I have to think about this. I don't…" She stopped for a moment and took a deep breath. "I don't want to see you for a while."

Marinette didn't transform; Ladybug didn't leave through the window. She used the door, and she almost slammed it behind her, leaving with such haste he wondered if she was on the verge of tears.

He laid his head on his desk. Plagg said nothing, but curled up quietly next to his wrist.

The next day he got to class before her. Usually Marinette paused to talk to him on the way to her desk.

That morning she didn't even look at him.

* * *

Hawk Moth cared little whether Ladybug and Chat Noir were getting along. The akumas continued to come.

Ladybug was a professional. She knew they couldn't let their feelings affect their work protecting Paris. She also knew any sign of a quarrel between Ladybug and Chat Noir would be on the cover of every tabloid, and used against them by Hawk Moth.

So they worked together just as they always did. She fist-bumped him before running off to detransform, even cracked a small smile at one of his jokes. But they still patrolled separately, and when he saw her as civilians, she would hardly acknowledge him.

It got to the point where, if Adrien had tried, he might have been able to convince himself that Marinette and Ladybug were separate people again.

"You guys were tight two minutes ago," Nino said, bewildered, after Marinette abruptly left a conversation once Adrien approached. "What happened?"

"I screwed up," Adrien mumbled, and changed the subject.

In the evenings he went to his Chinese, fencing, and piano lessons, did his homework alone, and patrolled without his partner. Occasionally he drafted long texts to Marinette, but he erased them every time.

He set his phone to ring loudly with any notifications from Marinette and kept it close even when he was asleep, though she had ignored the two messages he' d sent since their last conversation.

 **March 4th, 7:36 pm**

I'm so sorry, Marinette.

 **March 9th, 2:06 pm**

Akuma in the library.

* * *

Alya slid onto the bench next to him, face serious. "Hey."

Adrien sighed. He'd known this was coming. Alya had been shooting daggers at him through her eyes since Tuesday. "Go ahead. There's not a single thing you could say that I don't deserve."

Alya crossed her arms, glowering. "I'd really like to scream at you for what you did." Her leg bounced with pent-up energy. "Unfortunately, I don't _know_ what you did. Marinette won't tell."

"Yeah," Adrien said. "That makes sense."

Alya raised an eyebrow. "So you can either tell me yourself, or prepare for the butt-kicking of the century once I inevitably figure this out."

"You think you will?"

She snorted. "I'm a journalist. Please."

Adrien shook his head. "I can't tell you if she hasn't. It's hers to tell."

"Yeah, probably." Alya sagged. "I just...feel useless."

"You don't have to answer this, but…" Adrien hesitated. "What did Marinette tell you?"

"Nothing," Alya said hollowly. "I found her in her room, pretending she hadn't just been in tears, and then the next day she wouldn't talk to you. I can put two and two together."

Adrien sighed. "I'm horrible."

Alya studied him. "You know…" she paused. "If you're willing to kick your own butt, I might be able to refrain from kicking it myself this time."

He stared at her, then barely cracked a smile. "Okay."

"It's a one-time deal. And I reserve the right to change my mind at any time."

"That's fair."

Alya sighed. "Hopefully I won't regret saying this once I find out what happened...but I'm inclined to think you're a pretty good person."

"Thanks."

"I mean that I think you and Marinette will be okay, probably. Depending on what you did." She muttered a swear word under her breath. "I wish I knew what it was. I feel so useless."

"Would you -" He looked up. "Would you pass something onto Marinette for me?"

"Maybe. What?"

"I…" He dragged a hand through his hair. "Just tell her how sorry I am. I was so stupid. I've already said it, but..."

"I can do that."

"And -" What else? There was so much he wanted to say, but nothing Alya could hear. He sighed. "I guess that's all."

"Hang in there, buddy."

* * *

Marinette approached him outside the school, looking him straight in the eye and picking at her fingernails. Alya saw her coming and grabbed Nino's elbow, dragging him away and leaving Adrien alone with Marinette.

"Hey," Adrien said tentatively.

"Hey," Marinette said.

A few silent seconds passed before he dared to speak again. "Um...do you still not want to see me?"

Marinette hesitated. "I'm willing to talk."

Adrien nodded. "Okay. Coffee? After school?"

"Okay."

* * *

Marinette wrapped her hands around her mug. "So. You're him."

"I am." Adrien fidgeted. He had gotten a muffin, but he could only pick at it. His stomach was twisting with nerves.

"Can't believe I didn't guess," Marinette grumbled, glaring into her coffee.

Adrien almost laughed at her expression, but reined himself in. _She's mad at you._ He cleared his throat. "So are you...okay with it?"

Marinette sighed. "What's 'okay'? I accept it. I'm glad I know the truth."

"But you're mad I kept it from you," Adrien said. "Which you have a right to be."

"Do I, though?" Adrien looked up, surprised. Marinette was focusing on the wall behind him and speaking very fast. "Because I _was_ mad, but it's not fair for me to be upset. It's _your_ secret. I wasn't lucky enough to get to choose when I was ready to share mine, but why should that mean that you should give up your right to keep yours? It makes me a hypocrite." She shook her head. "I'm just embarrassed now."

"But I never saw it that way," Adrien said seriously. "I was willing to share my identity with you from the beginning. I didn't keep it from you to protect my secret."

"Then why did you?"

"I was scared you'd hate me. And I loved being allowed to spend time with you, to get to know you…" He swallowed. "You let Chat Noir know so little, but you told Adrien so much more. You became one of the best friends I've ever had. And I don't take those for granted." He looked down. "I'm not trying to make excuses. I was a coward, and a liar, and you should be mad."

Marinette sighed. "Well, whether I should be or not, I'm not mad. And I'm not going to be mad at you just to assuage your guilty conscience."

"What? No, that's not what I -"

"Adrien, this is too complicated," Marinette interrupted. "Normal people don't have to worry about secret identities. There are no advice columns for teenage superheroes. I don't know what the right answer is here, I don't know if I should be angry, but I'm tired of this."

Adrien met her eyes, which had become intense and almost pleading. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"I mean that I want my friend back."

"Really?"

"Yeah," Marinette said. "I miss you, you nerd."

Adrien didn't know what to say. He reached across the table and squeezed her hand wordlessly.

She squeezed it back. After a moment she pulled her hand away and cleared her throat. "Now that that's out of the way, can we talk about your attempts at flirting, back when Nathanael was akumatized?"

Heat rushed into Adrien's face, but he laughed despite himself. " _That_ is the real reason I didn't tell you earlier."

It felt good to make her laugh again.

* * *

 **Notes:**

 **Wow, thank you all so much for the love for this little fic! Your kudos, tags, comments, etc make my days 3**

 **The third and (probably) final part is coming right after I update Kissing In The Rain!**

 **Thanks for your patience waiting for this update...during the day I've had work, and my nights have been dedicated to rehearsals, which has been great but exhausting. Most of this chapter was written in the middle of the night while I fought to keep my eyes open. But I'm so excited to finally share it!**

 **Come bother me on tumblr - I'm peggiecarter :)**


	3. Chapter 3

The sky bled pink and orange from the setting sun while Ladybug and Chat Noir lounged high on a rooftop. Chat Noir was drifting off into a light doze, his cheek pressed against his partner's shoulder.

Ladybug smiled at him, fond and melancholy. "You're my rock," whispered.

"And you're mine," Chat said, voice slightly muffled, the response easy and automatic even on the edge of sleep. Marinette's heart twinged, almost in pain, and she glanced away.

His devotion to her was nothing new. She'd known about his feelings for her as Chat, and she'd known how close he'd felt to her as Adrien. But she hadn't been prepared for them to be the same person, and she hadn't been prepared for the disadvantage of finding out after he did.

Chat snored softly. Ladybug brushed a hand over his hair with a feather-light touch.

He wasn't pressuring her, but Adrien had to be wondering why she hadn't so much as acknowledged what he'd said weeks ago.

 _A guy doesn't look a girl he doesn't love like this._

She loved him, of course. He was her partner, her friend, her confidante. There was no one she trusted more.

But–though it didn't always seem like a good idea–she thought she might also love him like she wanted to thread her fingers through his hair and pull his lips down onto hers and feel his arms twist around her waist and to feel everything else dissolve–

She had fantasized about being his girlfriend, but there had been distance then. It was different now.

Now Adrien was perhaps the most important person in her world–a thought that brought on a wave of affection for her partner, but also a little bit of fear.

She bit her lip, looking at Chat slumped against her. She reflected on how badly injured a person could get falling from this height. Yet Chat Noir slept in her arms, fully vulnerable, fully trusting in her.

She held him tighter and closed her eyes.

She supposed neither of them had anything to fear from heights. Ladybugs could fly, and cats landed on their feet.

Even so, they would never let each other fall.

* * *

"Good morning," Marinette said cheerfully, passing Adrien's desk.

Adrien grinned. "Morning, Mari."

There was a thump on the desk next to him as Nino dropped his bag onto it. Nino sat down and nodded at Marinette, who was chattering away to Alya. "You guys made up, huh?"

"Yeah, we did."

Nino grinned. "About time," he said. "So can you tell me what happened between you two?"

"Sorry, man," Adrien said. "Maybe someday."

Nino shook his head. "You're always saying stuff like that these days," he said. "It's cool and all, but you've got me wondering what kind of crazy crap I'm gonna hear when 'someday' comes."

Adrien grinned. "It'll be worth the wait, I promise."

"Good," Nino said.

Alya tapped Adrien on the shoulder. "Can I look at your physics notes? I can't read some of my own handwriting."

"Sure, Alya." Adrien started to rummage through his bag. "Hmm. I know I put them in here this morning."

"Don't worry, I can look off Mari's," Alya said.

Marinette shook her head. "No, I was gone one of the days. I don't have all the notes."

"They're here, don't worry." Adrien pulled on his hoodie uncomfortably. "It's kind of warm in here, isn't it?"

Nino frowned. "Yeah, a little."

"Hang on a second," Adrien said, standing to pull his sweatshirt over his head.

Marinette suddenly erupted in a violent coughing fit. Adrien turned around in concern. Alya thumped her on the back, hiding laughter behind her hand.

Adrien dropped his sweatshirt and rested a hand on Marinette's shoulder. "You okay?"

"Yeah," Marinette croaked. "Yeah, I'm great."

"She just…choked," Alya said, still grinning.

Adrien shrugged and dove back into his bag. "Oh, here they are," he said, and passed his notebook back to Alya. Marinette blushed and stared straight ahead very hard. Alya grinned at him.

Adrien turned back to the front, but he could still hear Alya's whisper–"You saw them, right? Model abs!" Nor could he help but overhear Marinette's mortified " _Alya_!"

Nino snickered.

"What?" Adrien grumbled.

"Dude," Nino said. "Even your ears are blushing."

Adrien shook his head and tried to pay attention as class started.

* * *

Marinette could feel his confusion. Her speech sped up with anxiety when the tension was detectable. There were times he was unable to meet her eyes, and would have to talk to her with his stare firmly fixed on a diagram in their physics textbook.

But when she'd start to ramble Adrien would take her hand quickly, squeeze it, and release it, and a little bit of the stress would leave her. He no doubt assumed that she had no feelings for him. And he held no grudge. Marinette loved him for that. Among other things.

She had a city to protect, schoolwork to do, relationships to maintain. It felt like too much.

Her confusion and embarrassment and panic and longing sloshed back and forth in her head like water in a bucket. She had too much to do and too many things to think about and too many decisions to make. This one would just have to wait. She had limited space in her head.

If she let herself fall into the hole that was thinking about all of it, the air got too hard to breathe. Every time she saw him the pressure increased, even despite his unspoken reassurances…

Marinette squeezed his hand back quickly and let it go, before she could start thinking about it too hard, and turned a page in the textbook.

* * *

Adrien's mind was always full of her.

It was sometimes easier, or more difficult, on patrol. It was just the two of them, Ladybug humming as she leapt from roof to roof, Chat following her lead. They sometimes talked, but these days found that more than often they didn't need to. Her hair shone in the moonlight, and her absentminded humming was beautiful. They patrolled in comfortable silence, aside from the simple tunes she would softly sing.

But when the silence went on too long, Adrien's thoughts would build up again, piling on each other, until he could hear nothing but the roar in his ears and see nothing but her. Her, with her yo-yo flying, with her face set in determination, fearless and formidable. Her, tender and kind, knitting presents for her friends and never forgetting to bring Plagg cheese. Her, her, her, limitless and beautiful and compassionate and awe-inspiring.  
He could feel her presence. He could tell exactly where she was, as though she were the source of all the warmth in the room. She took up every thought. She filled every space.

 _She hadn't said anything._

Marinette had had ample opportunity. Between class and patrol alone they'd spent plenty of time together. If she'd wanted to bring it up, she could have.

But she didn't. And that was fine.

Adrien knew why. She didn't return his feelings. She wanted to preserve their friendship, and he did too. He couldn't bear to lose her.

But every cell in his body was pulled in her direction–he sometimes felt flattened to the ground from the weight of all he felt for her–he couldn't breathe beneath it–

"I should go home," Chat Noir said, breaking the quiet.

Ladybug looked at him in surprise. "Really? It's still early."

"I'm just…behind on studying." _If I stay out here a moment longer I might tell you I love you again and mess everything up for real._

"Okay. Text me when you're home safe."

"I will. You, too."

He landed in his room, closed the window, and cracked open a textbook, but the effort was futile. His eyes slid over the same paragraph over and over. He couldn't concentrate.

He didn't often study without Marinette.

* * *

"There you are," Chat Noir said, dropping onto the rooftop. Ladybug turned away, trying to compose herself quickly before he saw her expression. "Everything okay?"

"Why wouldn't it be?" Ladybug said. Her tone was harsher than she'd intended and Chat raised his eyebrows at the bite in her voice. She swallowed and tried for an airier tone. "I'm just here to…think."

"You just weren't answering your phone. I couldn't find you anywhere, and you seemed upset at school today."

"I'm fine."

Chat Noir sighed and sat next to her. "Something's up, bug. No point in hiding it."

"It's my problem."

"Can I help?"

"It's Lila," she growled.

"Lila Rossi?"

"Yes."

"What happened?"

"Never mind."

"Marinette…"

"She was all over you!" Ladybug blurted. "She was disrespectful, inconsiderate, pushy. She was like Chloé!"

"It's not you she's being inconsiderate to."

"Chloé tried to _kiss_ you on Thursday."

"Marinette, what is going on, really?"

She only huffed in response.

"Mari, look at me," Chat Noir said. She reluctantly made eye contact with him. "I need to hear you say it."

"I just want people to treat my friends better than that."

"I'm sure you do," Chat Noir said. "But that's not why you're isolating yourself from the world, hiding on top of a building in the middle of the night."

"Yes, it is," Ladybug insisted.

"Then why are you being cold to me, too?"

"I am not!"

"You are. Mari, if you're not going to bring up the thing I said -"

"No, that has nothing to do with it!" Ladybug buried her face in her hands, suddenly embarrassed.

"You're scared to talk about it."

"Scared?" Ladybug raised her head, frowning. "No!"

"You think if you say something we'll end up fighting, or we'll have more misunderstandings, and we won't be friends anymore."

"I - Chat, would you -"

"I know," Chat Noir said, "because it's exactly what I used to feel, every day of my life, every time I looked at you."

"I…" Ladybug fumbled for something to say, but found herself oddly without words.

"I'm going to take a quick trip around my patrol route, and then I'm going home." He hesitated and paused as if to say something else. Then he hopped off the roof.

Ladybug let her face flop onto her folded arms and let out a muffled, frustrated scream.

* * *

Adrien could do nothing but pace in his room, massaging his forehead, feeling a massive headache building.

He would almost welcome an akuma right now, he thought. Anything for an opportunity to see her, to take her hand and beg her for forgiveness.

He had been frustrated, sure. But nothing was worth this.

They had to be better than this. They had been a team for so long.

His phone chimed with a notification, and he dove on it, but it was only Nathalie with a reminder for tomorrow. He sighed and stuck the phone in his pocket, then pulled it out and typed two words.

Adrien - _January 12th, 8:31 pm_  
Home safe.

A few moments later a reply popped up.

Mari - _January 12th, 8:32 pm_  
me too

He started at Marinette's message until the light of his phone screen appeared blurry. Adrien blinked repeatedly and rubbed his eyes.

They were such idiots. He was an idiot.

The snow outside was falling thickly and he was in his pajamas, but he didn't care. He threw on a coat and ran out of the house, leaving Plagg snoozing in his sock drawer.

* * *

Marinette lay on the chaise, tear streaks on her cheeks, staring blankly at the wall opposite her. There was a gentle knock on the trap door. Someone called her name softly, and Marinette stilled. Not trusting her voice, not wanting to show her face, she curled into a tighter ball.

Then Adrien's arms encircled her, his smell surrounded her. She hesitated for a moment, then exhaled and hugged him tightly. Cold had settled into the material of his clothes. The snowflakes that dusted his jacket started to melt away.

Marinette focused on her breathing, taking in measured breaths and taking care not to let them come out as sobs. But when she realized it wasn't melted snow but Adrien's warm tears which fell onto her shoulder, she broke down, clutching him tightly. The wall between them shattered like wafer-thin glass.

Why did she keep resisting this? Marinette laid her head against his chest and closed her eyes, holding him despite everything. She would deal with her worries again in the morning. For now, she would indulge.

She fought her exhaustion, but still found herself drifting off. Adrien gently laid her down on the chaise, draping her blanket from her bed over her.

Marinette wasn't sure whether she was already dreaming when Adrien left, so when she woke she wasn't sure whether he had really kissed her forehead and whispered something tender to her before he slipped out of her room.

* * *

Adrien stepped out of the car and scanned the students outside the school doors. Right away he found Marinette, looking at him, her backpack hanging from her hands in front of her.

As he approached she dropped her bag and launched herself at him. Adrien let his own bag fall to the ground to hug her back.

"This wasn't what I planned," Marinette said, her voice muffled by his shoulder. "I had this whole apology speech."

"This is okay by me," Adrien said.

"I'm so sorry."

"Me too."

"I was horrible."

" _I_ was horrible."

Marinette let out a shaky breath. "I hated that."

"Me too," Adrien said. "So, we'll never argue again?"

"It's a deal," Marinette said, stepping back and hurriedly wiping her eyes. "Both forgiven?"

"Always," Adrien said, picking up both their bags. "Let's go to class."

* * *

"Ladybug and Chat Noir are probably best friends in real life," Alya said happily. "Look how they smiled at each other here." She held up her tablet for the group to see, showing footage of the last akuma battle.

"I always figured they were married or something," Nino said absently. He kept playing on his phone, oblivious to Adrien and Marinette flushing red. "Did you see how Ladybug looked at him toward the end?"

Alya shrugged. "Could be platonic."

"I'm all for friendship," Nino said, leaning forward and pausing the video, "but just look at her."

Adrien looked at the screen and his stomach swooped. Chat Noir was dashing away in the photograph, a few moments after their fist bump. Ladybug stood with her hands on her hips, watching him leave fondly.

"Well, she cares about him," Marinette said.

Adrien's heart pulled. He let his hand fall beneath the table and briefly brush hers.

Neither he nor Marinette contributed much for the rest of the conversation.

* * *

Someone knocked on his bedroom door with determined force. Three loud, even raps. It seemed so formal Adrien was surprised to find Marinette when he opened the door.

"Mari! Aren't we doing homework later tonight? Or–"

Marinette shot to her tiptoes and pressed her mouth to his.

Adrien's eyes widened in surprise, his hands settling lightly on her shoulders.

His head was fuzzy. Marinette's lips were soft and tasted like chapstick. Adrien's hands settled on her waist. He felt his knees weaken and pulled her closer for support.

 _He was kissing Marinette_. Adrien felt light-headed from disbelief and bliss. He had wondered what this would be like for so long. It was just right.

Marinette broke the kiss and rested her forehead on his, drinking in his face, laughing a little at his dumbstruck expression. Her cheeks were red, and she was smiling.

Adrien let out a shaky laugh. His heart soared. He'd never seen her look so happy. Was she really smiling like that for _him_?

"I didn't think you were gonna…" he said.

"I was scared," she said. "I didn't want to…"

"I know," Adrien said, and kissed her again.

Marinette pulled away a little and brushed a lock of hair out of his face. "I love you."

Adrien couldn't respond. It was so hard to think straight when her face was so close and her hand was on his cheek and her eyes were square on his and everything about her expression radiated everything he felt when he looked at her or thought about her or heard her voice -

Adrien hugged her, thinking there had never been a luckier black cat in the entire world.

* * *

 **The fic is (finally) complete!**

 **Thanks for reading and for all your kind comments (and for your patience)! It means the world to me 3**

 **You can find me on tumblr as peggiecarter, if you want! :)**


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